bleedingsujit

My 2012 Maxima has a very pronounced whining sound coming from the front driver side wheel. Starts from as low as 10 miles an hour. It's even louder when I apply the brakes all the way to a stop. Took it to the dealership and they said it was the tire so I rotated the wheels and the sound still exists. They inspected the wheel bearing and said it was fine. The brake pads and the rotors do need to be taken care of but I don't know how they could be causing this. There's also a slight vibration into the steering wheel from this. I'm sure others have had this issue. Please let me know the definite cause of this problem and how some of you fixed it. Thank you.

Tremane2003

I would get have a second shop check the wheel bearings in the front, I have had the dealership give me that same bs about the tires making noise when that was not the case. Took it to another dealership, wheel bearings replaced no more whining noise.

bleedingsujit

Car is outside of warranty. At this point i suppose i could just take it to a mechanic down the road from where i live.

Richard66

If it is the wheel bearing, make sure you change both sides, as they have the same number of miles on them.

bleedingsujit

Took the car to two different shops, result...wheel bearing is fine. Got all the rotors resurfaced as needed. Tyres have been rotated regularly but unforunately all have feathered evenly, got alignment checked and numbers were good. Mechanic believes the feathering on the tyres are probably behind the whining noise. Currently installed are (probably) cheap primewell brand tyres (brand I've never heard of). Tread wear is good with feathered edges under 34 psi all around. Strongly considering changing them. What do you all think about that?

MadMax07SL

Noise when braking, and brakes need replacement based on visual inspection, there's your answer. Why baffle yourself, change the brake pads, turn the rotors, $300 at Firestone all 4 wheels. Anytime you're pads are low, change them. Depending on driving styles and conditions, you can get a lot of miles out of a set. I replaced mine at about 56000 miles, still had a lot of meat on the pads. It was just time in my opinion, before the rotors got messed up and would have to be replaced. Some people ride the brakes all the time and get maybe 20000 miles and have groves in the rotors. That becomes a much more expensive job, rotors replaced could run an additional $200 or more.

Anyway, the noise you described if not solved by the necessary brake job, next thing would be bearing, but i'll bet the brake job solves your problem.

bleedingsujit

I got the rotors resurfaced. I bought both front and rear pads to do it myself but the front was literally new so i didnt replace that but the rear. The repair shop told me yesterday that the front pads are perfectly fine. The sound doesn't come upon applying the brakes, it comes as soon as the car is in motion. Applying the brakes merely changes the pitch. Car just crossed 40k miles and it's driven like and as often as a granny does.

MadMax07SL

Word of caution, never resurface rotors and put back on old pads. Conversly never replace the pads without resurfacing or replacing the rotors. It will lead to problems. You've not eliminated all the brake issues. Change the front pads right away, give it a drive, see what happens. You're variables haven't been eliminated if you just turned the rotor.


For the pitch to change when you apply brakes is still the symptom that you gotta think about more so then the fact that the noise shows up at 10mph. Remember that pads are touching the rotors at all times, so it still makes sense that you replace the pads and see where that leads you.

MadMax07SL

To note, I've replaced pads under warrantee because of noise...out of the box had problems. So it's not unheard of.

bleedingsujit

Thanks for that suggestion. I will replace the front on monday and see if that makes a difference. Will get back to you after that.

bleedingsujit

UPDATE: Front pads replaced with new ones, rotors removed and treated with brake cleaner. S/P 4 days of driving, whining is still there. Nothing has changed. Next week or so, I will probably change the tires. Primewell brand with 80% tread left but all 4 have feathered edges and the mechanics say the noise is built into the tire. But then no one is able to answer why the sound is coming from the drive side front only.
Quick question, do you guys recommend RockAuto for non oem parts such as lower control arms and suspensions?

MadMax07SL

Damn, well at least you got all new brakes. Hate to keep guessing since it hasn't worked out so far. But as mentioned before, a bad wheel bearing/hub bearing assembly might be the next step. Parts aren't that much, but labor can be a few hours per side depending on the car. Tires making a whining noise...not sure about that one, it's certainly possible, but if you're getting feathering on one side of the tread, that's likely a bad alignment. I'd get that fixed when you replace the tires if that's you're next move.

bleedingsujit

4 Wheel alignment was done 3 weeks ago. And once before about 5500 miles ago when tires were rotated. All 4 tires are feathered on both edges. Front tires more aggressively feathered than the rear. Tires were rotated

543HN

NEED UPDATES! Similar thing is happening to me and I'm about to get my brake system done.

bleedingsujit

Haven't had any time to make any changes/repairs. Car is driven less than 40 miles a week so for now I'm not in a hurry. I do plan to do the following in a month:
-Change all 4 tires and see if the while goes away
-Replace both front lower control arms
-Replace both front wheel bearings if sound is still there
-Replace air filters, change oil (engine, brake, tranny) etc etc.
Then perhaps I will have something to tell you. If anyone beats me to solving this problem, kindly let me know in this thread.

Les7311

I do 90% of my vehicle maintenance. My approach to this.

Completely jack up front and place in jack stand.
See if you hear and can pinpoint sound with car at low speed. If not,
Remove both front wheels
Have someone start and put car into drive (taking all necessary precautions)
Then listen for origin of noises.

If you hear the noise but can’t find, place a screwdriver tip on a non-moving part to feel for intense vibration

543HN

Good call on the screwdriver tip bit. I would have never thought

LtLeary

I think you will find that changing your tires will fix the noise issue...at least in the short term. Feathered tires are almost always an alignment issue or failed steering part. Take it to a reputable shop for your alignment when you get the new shoes. I've never heard or that tire brand you mentioned but do pay the money and get some nice Michelins or Contis. Lt

eyeball

Michelin tires are a waste of money. There are better options that are much cheaper and are name brands.

LtLeary

eyeball, by all means give the OP an option. I based mine on having 3 sets of Michelins on my 7th Gen 09 SV. With 380,000 miles on her and all but 70K on Michelins, I would suggest that Michelins are a superior product on our 7th gens. Especially in the torrential rains and hurricanes we get here in FL. If you know of ANY that have lasted longer on our 7th Gens, speak up.

Apologies to the OP and fellow members but felt I had to correct this unenlightened and incomplete comment with practical and observed measurements.

Drops the Mic

eyeball

You are wrong to think that Michelin tires are the only option to purchase for a Maxima. I have extensive experience with both Michelin passenger tires and commercial tires. They are over priced and under performing tires in my opinion. I am entitled to that opinion. I have found Goodyear, Continental and Yokohama tires to be as good if not better than Michelin tires at much cheaper prices. I did not give this information before because the OP is a big boy and I am sure he can make his own decisions without me chiming in. You are entitled to your opinion but only to your own actions.

bleedingsujit

I am considering Contis for now. The gentleman at Discount Tire did suggest Barum Bravuris at a much cheaper price but also mentioned shorter tread life. Apparently it's made my Contis. Like I've mentioned before, I drive my car 11 miles a day 3 may be 4 days a week so I don't deal with the noise for a long period of time. It's always there but I ignore it. The trip to dallas however was painful lol.

bleedingsujit

Update: Lifted the car on jacks as suggested, put it in D and waited for sound, nothing. On the ground, sounded terrible as usual. Made a trip to discount tyre, 4 Barum Bravuris 3HM 245/45/18 later, the whine is completely gone. Drove the car for a good 10 miles or so on different surfaces, no more noise. Car's had 2 alignment done within the last 5000 miles so I'm not sure if I still need it. I will be keeping an eye on the tread on this one. As for the tire, softer sidewall compared to the crap I had before has resulted on a very comfortable ride. Rolling resistance seems to be a bit more and cornering takes a bit more effort though people who drive like an old grandma (me included) won't easily notice all that. Road noise is unbelievably low, owing to the tyres being brand new. PSI is set at 35, tried 33 and sidewall flex seemed a bit more than I liked. Car's driven so rarely, I'm happy with this purchase. Really considered the Contis but couldn't justify the cost with the miles driven. I ride my bike more.